Stop number five is located just north of the Pinhook Valley. As you can see, the Porcupine Ranch fire actually burned across the road here. This stop provides a good vantage point to observe how the topography of the valley contributed to the spread of the fire. On the day of the fire, strong winds blew in from the northwest. These winds intensified the fire and pushed it to the east up the valley. The uphill fire movement and narrowing topography of the valley acted as a funnel, allowing the fire to gain speed quickly.

As you look down into the Pinhook Valley, keep an eye out for new Gambel oak shoots. Most of this area will not be reseeded because the oak likely will regenerate quickly on its own. In the months immediately following the fire, limited precipitation prevented oak regeneration in the valley, but new sprouts began to show up before Christmas 2008. At the base of the Pinhook Valley 20 acres will be reseeded with Gambel oak because of immediate concerns about wildlife habitat over the winter.  Repair of a damaged fence and water developments will also occur.

Looking to the east along the switchbacks below this viewpoint is a large fire-killed ponderosa pine on the west side of the road. Ponderosa pines are not especially abundant on this side of the mountain but as you travel to the south towards the town of La Sal they become a dominant species. They have a thicker bark layer which insulates them from damage during low intensity fires that stay close to the ground. Ponderosa pines naturally grow in open stands with a lot of space between trees, and they rely on frequent surface fires to preserve the openness and health of the stand. However, in this case you can see how the fairly dense vegetation surrounding this pine, as well as the steep slope just south of it, allowed the flames to burn high and hot around the tree, killing it.

As mentioned at the previous stop, the majority of this fire burned in only four hours. If you have a home or cabin in an area such as this, the best thing you can do to increase its chance for surviving such a fire is to create a fire-safe zone near the home with low amounts of vegetation and flammable debris. Ask your local fire department for more information on fire safety in the wildland-urban interface.